BRS MLC Kavitha announces 72-hour fast to support reservation for Backward Classes

Hyderabad: Telangana Jagruti Chairperson and BRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha announced that she will undertake a 72-hour hunger strike to achieve 42 percent reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) in local bodies as well as in education and employment sectors.

Talking to reporters on Tuesday Kavitha said that due to the struggles by Telangana Jagruti and United Pule Front (UPF), the state government relented and introduced and passed two separate bills for BCs in the Assembly and Council. She noted that the state government had then announced it would take all parties to the central government, but has not made that effort so far. Kavitha announced that she will undertake the hunger strike at Dharna Chowk in Indira Park from 11 AM on August 4 to 11 AM on August 7.

She criticised that previously, during a dharna organized in Delhi under Congress party leadership, even party leader Rahul Gandhi did not pay attention to it. She said that now too, instead of saying they will take all parties to Delhi, calling for a party-specific dharna is deceiving the BCs.

She questioned why the state government did not fight legally when the President did not approve the bills passed by the Assembly and Council, and when the Governor did not approve the amendment bill approved by the state Cabinet. She reminded that when Tamil Nadu faced a similar situation, that state government fought legally for nine years and secured reservations. She described the Chalo Delhi by Congress government as a 'stunt' ahead of Bihar elections.

She stated that there is no urgency to conduct elections in the state now, and that securing reservations is more important.

Kavitha questioned why the BJP, which talks about BC CM and BC PM, is creating obstacles for increasing BC reservations in Telangana. She said that having eight MPs and two central ministers from the state is of no use.

She demanded that the government explain to the people why they are not fighting legally on the ordinance issue. She said that if the President approves the bills, it would be good, but if rejected, the reservations can be implemented if the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council approve those bills again.

She alleged that despite having many opportunities to implement BC reservations, chief minister A Revanth Reddy is not putting pressure on the center only to protect his "bade bhai" Narendra Modi. She claimed that due to an agreement with BJP, the Revanth Reddy government is not going to court.

She demanded immediate filing of petitions in High Court and Supreme Court to increase pressure on the Centre. Responding to Minister Ponnam Prabhakar's call for MLAs and MLCs to come for a dharna in Delhi, she questioned whether a dharna in Delhi is some kind of feast.